( lxxiv ) 



present year, tend to confirm the opinion that Pieris rapx 

 chooses for prolonged rest, a surface upon which it will be 

 concealed. Although only five individuals were observed, 

 these had, without exception, selected a position of consider- 

 able protective value. The first butterfly was seen near 

 Cowley Marsh on May 7th, at about 4 p.m. The afternoon 

 was dull and cloudy, and the insect was resting in a semi- 

 torpid state among the flowers of the white dead-nettle 

 (Lamium album) in a hedge. A week later, on May 13th, 

 between 4 and 5 p.m., when searching the same hedgerow, 

 another individual was found in an almost identical position. 

 Hanging in the midst of the largish white flowers of the 

 Labiate the butterflies were beautifully concealed, and were 

 indeed only found because the plants were carefully examined 

 for other insects. 



"On August 17th, between 7 and 8 p.m., when looking for 

 larva? on the hedge bordering my garden, near the Cowley 

 Road, I found two rapsa within a few inches of each other. 

 Both were resting on the silvery under-sides of bramble leaves. 

 In both cases, however, the leaves were twisted and the lower 

 surface had become the upper. Again, on August 20th, in a 

 lane leading to Temple Cowley, at 5.30 p.m., I watched an 

 individual flying slowly along a hedgerow, every now and then 

 resting for a few seconds. Finally, after many attempts, it 

 settled down, apparently for the night, and on going to look 

 more closely, I found that it also had chosen the under-side 

 of a bramble leaf. Although not quite so well concealed 

 as among the white flowers, these last examples blended 

 wonderfully well with their environment. 



"After some years of close observation of the resting habits 

 of insects in general, I feel convinced that they possess an 

 inherent tendency to select an environment that aids in con- 

 cealment ; and as the various species differ in appearance so do 

 they select diversified situations suited in each case to the 

 particular requirement of the insect." 



A discussion followed, Mr. H. J. Elwes expressing his 

 conviction that the use of surroundings by insects, and Lepi- 

 doptera especially, for protective purposes simply, was still an 

 open question. Colonel J. "W. Yerbury mentioned the case 



